Tuesday, June 12, 2007

A co-worker of mine said something to me yesterday that struck a chord. We were talking about her commute to work and how it takes her between 45 minutes to an hour to get to work. Since we're in Atlanta, that's not abnormal at all. It's actually quite common. She said she likes the commute because it gives her some alone time to relax and unwind. In her words, "I just take my time and let everyone else rush by me."

I started thinking about this, and I came up with some ideas to help you if you find yourself getting too stressed out with your own commute:

Motivation - Use the extra time to listen to a motivational or inspirational book on CD. You'll be surprised how fast the commute will fly by.

Learn Something New - Why not listen to a book on CD that will teach you a new language or trade.

Catch up with a long lost Friend or Relative - As long as you can drive while talking on your cell phone, this is a perfect time to call someone you haven't talked to in a long time.

Change Your Commute - This is something I do occasionally. It normally works better when going home from work rather than to work just in case it takes you a lot longer than your normal commute. But, it's amazing how refreshing taking a new route home can be. The change in scenery is a welcome change.

Listen to Talk Radio - A lot of people listen to music on their commute. I'm one of them. But, I've found that in stop and go traffic, talk radio seems to make the commute go by much faster. You're more apt to get engrossed in the conversation where as music in my opinion is made for the "open road" so to speak.

These are just a few suggestions. I'm sure you have your own ideas as well. Why not share them with us. What do you do to pass the time during your commute?